The people of Ukhrul and Kamjong Districts have been pushed to the brink. Since 7th February 2026, our land has remained gripped by violence, fear, and systematic disruption, yet two months later, there is still no decisive intervention from the District Administration. Ukhrul cannot afford a passive administration in a time of crisis. When the very system that has been created to provide justice and maintain peace fails, people will take it upon themselves to get their justice.
The press communique stated “the continued inaction of the Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul District, Ashish Das (IAS), is no longer merely concerning but indefensible. At a time when the Tangkhul Nagas are enduring sustained hardship, the District Administration and the State Government has chosen silence and indifference.
“The recent indiscriminate firing by Kuki cadres under SoO at Sinakeithei, Thoyee and Sharkaphung are not isolated incidents but coordinated attacks carried out by illegal Kuki cadres under SoO encroaching on Tangkhul Naga ancestral lands. Villagers in these areas are facing live rounds being fired into their
villages on a daily basis, forcing families to live in constant fear for their lives. Multiple homes and
properties have already been damaged as a result of this relentless violence. This is nothing short of terror inflicted upon innocent civilians, and yet, it continues unchecked and unabated.
“What is most alarming is the pattern of selective and questionable action by the District Administration and the SP of Ukhrul Police. On 6th April 2026, instead of confronting the relentless firing by Kuki cadres under SoO and initiating combing operations in Shangkai and Zalenbung areas where the militants are encamped, the administration and the state police forces chose to dismantle defensive bunkers erected by village volunteers on their own land in Thoyee. Meanwhile, repeated appeals to dismantle bunkers of Kuki cadres under SoO in Sinakeithei were ignored. Such actions lay bare the dangerous bias of the District Administration as well as the State government and their affinity towards Kuki cadres under SoO.
“Movement along NH-202 has been obstructed since 14th March 2026, and illegal taxation by Kuki cadres under SoO persists openly. These are not minor disruptions but clear indicators of a complete breakdown of law and order under the watch of the District Administration and the State Government. For a State that has had the highest concentration of security forces deployed in India in recent years, the audacity in which Kuki cadres under SoO are imposing themselves in the stretch of the NH-202 between Litan and Wungvei (Mahadev) clearly points to either complete incompetence and negligence by the State and District Administration or their implicitness in the violence and disorder with Kuki SoO groups.
“It is both ironic and telling that on 6th April 2026, the Deputy Commissioner himself was reportedly threatened at gunpoint by Kuki cadres under SoO along NH-202. The very lawlessness that he failed to confront has now reached him directly. If the head of the district is not safe, what hope remains for ordinary citizens who have been enduring this violence for months? In this same regard, what course of action has the Deputy Commissioner taken or is planning to take?
“Furthermore, the refusal by the Deputy Commissioner to impose Section 144 on 31st March 2026, even as Ukhrul town descended into chaos, further demonstrates a shocking lack of judgment and accountability. The excuse of insufficient forces cannot justify allowing a district headquarters to spiral into disorder.
“All events that have transpired leads to the pertinent question. Is the Deputy Commissioner making
these decisions on his own discretion or is he being forced to be a puppet and is simply executing orders from the Ministry of Home Affairs? At this point, it is plain for all to see that the MHA is complicit with the Kuki SoO groups and have made unequivocally clear their intention to destabilize Manipur
and to undermine the Naga cause for sovereignty and their rights to their land.
“Keeping all these in mind, if the Deputy Commissioner is unable or unwilling to restore law and order,
ensure free movement on NH-202, dismantle all illegal infrastructure by Kuki cadres under SoO, and
act impartially in the interest of all citizens, then he has no moral authority to continue in office.
“Ukhrul cannot afford a passive administration in a time of crisis. When the very system that has been created to provide justice and maintain peace fails, people will take it upon themselves to get their justice.
“The patience of the people is not infinite and should not be tested beyond limit” stated the statement issued by the Media Cell
Working Committee, Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL).
